First Look:Suzuki's Fuel-Cell Burgman

Suzuki continues to push forward the idea of fuel-cell powered vehicles, and the 41st Tokyo Motor Show saw Suzuki unwrap the fuel-cell powered Burgman scooter that will fleet tests next year in Japan.

Based on the 125cc Burgman platform, the fuel-cell scooter is fitted with a 10,000 psi (70 MPa) hydrogen tank and a fuel-cell development by Intelligent Energy. Hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce electricity and water. Except for a small amount of fan noise (to cool the fuel-cell), the scooter is practically silent, has a range of 300 kilometers, and the performance of a 125cc scooter.

Japan has 15 hydrogen re-fueling stations at present. The motor vehicle and energy industries in Japan have a mutual agreement to ready the hydrogen re-fueling infrastructure and fuel-cell powered vehicles by 2015.